Investigating the Importance of Detail Interest Level and Learning Objectives on the Seductive Detail Effect

The inclusion of interesting but irrelevant details in instructional materials may result in the seductive detail effect, in which the details interfere with learning, recall, and application of core material. Although numerous studies have documented this effect, questions remain about exactly when it occurs, as various factors moderate the effect (Rey, 2012b) and confounds make it difficult to interpret previous results (Goetz & Sadoski, 1995). Here, two studies examined the role of seductive detail interest level and the availability of learning objectives on performance, while controlling for possible confounds. Study 1 found no evidence for either an objective or seductive detail effect. Study 2, utilizing a revised set of seductive details, did demonstrate a seductive detail effect; however, contrary to expectations, the effect emerged only when learning objectives were available. These findings and the implications for developing meaningful guidelines for educators are discussed within the context of the larger literature

Inconsistent seduction: Addressing confounds and methodological issues in the study of the seductive detail effect

Introduction: The inclusion of interesting but irrelevant details in instructional materials may interfere with recall and application of the core content. Although this seductive detail effect is well researched, recent research highlights factors that may influence the effect size. Objectives: The current study discusses confounds and methodological issues in the study of seductive details and outlines strategies for overcoming them. These practices were then applied in a study that examined the role of learning objectives on the seductive detail effect. Methods: Seductive details were selected on the basis of interest and importance level and matched for word count and reading level. The 3 × 2 between-subjects design presented 132 undergraduate students with a lesson on plate tectonics; participants completed tests on both recall and transfer. Results: Results did not reveal a consistent detrimental effect of high-interest details on core content recall and transfer. On the recall test, contrary to expectation, the seductive detail effect obtained only when objectives were provided. A similar pattern emerged on the transfer task. Conclusion: These findings highlight the difficulty of consistently eliciting the seductive detail effect. We discuss outstanding issues that must be addressed in order to develop practical guidelines on the inclusion of seductive details in educational materials

Inconsistent seduction: Addressing confounds and methodological issues in the study of the seductive detail effect

Introduction: The inclusion of interesting but irrelevant details in instructional materials may interfere with recall and application of the core content. Although this seductive detail effect is well researched, recent research highlights factors that may influence the effect size. Objectives: The current study discusses confounds and methodological issues in the study of seductive details and outlines strategies for over coming them. These practices were then applied in a study that examined the role of learning objectives on the seductive detail effect. Met hods: Seductive details were selected on the basis of interest and importance level and matched forword count and reading level. The 3×2 between subjects design presented 132 undergraduate students with a lesson on plate tectonics; participants completed tests on both recall and transfer. Results: Results did not reveal a consistent detrimental effect of high-interest details on core content recall and transfer. On the recall test, contrary to expectation, the seductive detail effect obtained only when objectives were provided. A similar pattern emerged on the transfer task. Conclusion: These findings highlight the difficulty of consistently eliciting the seductive detail effect. We discuss outstanding issues that must be addressed in order to develop practical guidelines on the inclusion of seductive details in educational materials

Examining the learnability of auditory displays: Music, earcons, spearcons, and lyricons

Auditory displays are a useful platform to convey information to users for a variety of reasons. The present study sought to examine the use of different types of sounds that can be used in auditory displays—music, earcons, spearcons, and lyricons—to determine which sounds have the highest learnability when presented in sequences. Participants were self-trained on sound meanings and then asked to recall meanings after listening to sequences of varying lengths. The relatedness of sounds and their attributed meanings, or the intuitiveness of the sounds, was also examined. The results show that participants were able to learn and recall lyricons and spearcons the best, and related meaning is an important contributing variable to learnability and memorability of all sound types. This should open the door for future research and experimentation of lyricons and spearcons presented in auditory streams

Tislar Steelman Seductive Details Study

https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/data-files/1001/thumbnail.jp

Examining the learnability of auditory displays: Music, earcons, spearcons, and lyricons

Auditory displays are a useful platform to convey information to users for a variety of reasons. The present study sought to examine the use of different types of sounds that can be used in auditory displays—music, earcons, spearcons, and lyricons—to determine which sounds have the highest learnability when presented in sequences. Participants were self-trained on sound meanings and then asked to recall meanings after listening to sequences of varying lengths. The relatedness of sounds and their attributed meanings, or the intuitiveness of the sounds, was also examined. The results show that participants were able to learn and recall lyricons and spearcons the best, and related meaning is an important contributing variable to learnability and memorability of all sound types. This should open the door for future research and experimentation of lyricons and spearcons presented in auditory streams

Eliciting best practices in digital literacy tutoring: A cognitive task analysis approach

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017. Responding to the increasing need for all citizens to be digitally literate, our research group has led a program for six years that addresses older adults’ questions about digital devices and applications. Our patrons confront a range of socio-technical barriers as they adopt new technology and explore the digital world, and our tutors have developed particular practices to identify and overcome these barriers. Using a cognitive task analysis methodology, we conducted semi-structured interviews with experienced tutors. From these, we derived a set of effective and replicable practices that can form the basis for similar programs elsewhere

Breaking digital barriers: A social-cognitive approach to improving digital literacy in older adults

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016. The ability to navigate the ever-changing world of digital technology is a new form of literacy, one that presents a considerable challenge to older adults. Digital literacy has quickly evolved from an option to a necessity, and the rapid pace of technological change makes it insufficient to simply teach older adults to use a single technology. Rather, they must develop flexible skills and technological self-efficacy in order to maintain their hard-earned digital literacy. For four years, our research group has led a digital literacy program to address older adults’ questions about digital tools and applications. Through our work, we have identified numerous socio-technical barriers that older adults encounter as they adopt new technology and explore the digital world. Here, we review these barriers, discuss the Social Cognitive Theory that informs our tutoring approach, and describe our ongoing work to formalize the training program and develop technology to support older adults online

Work in progress: Student perception of computer programming within engineering education: An investigation of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors

Although most engineering faculty and professionals view computer programming as an essential part of an undergraduate engineering curriculum, engineering students do not always share this viewpoint. In fact, engineering students—especially those outside of computer and electrical engineering—may not realize the value of computer programming skills until after they have graduated and advanced in their career (Sterian, Dunne, & Blauch, 2005). Failure to find value in computer programming may have negative consequences for learning. Indeed, engineering students who do not view programming as interesting or useful show poorer performance on tests of programming concepts than students who do (Lingar, Williams, and McCord, 2017). This finding is consistent with theories of technology acceptance (e.g., Davis, 1989, Venkatesh, et al., 2003) that emphasize perceived usefulness as a key determinant of attitudes toward a technology and subsequent use or disuse of it. Accordingly, to better support student learning, engineering coursework should include specific interventions that emphasize the utility of programming skills for a career in engineering. Intervention effectiveness, however, may depend in part on the characteristics of the individual learners, including their prior programming experience, their openness to new experiences, and their beliefs about the nature of intelligence. The purpose of the current work is to understand engineering students’ attitudes toward and experiences with computer programming as well as to assess the relationship between their attitudes and experiences and their mindset toward their own intelligence. 101 engineering students participated in the study as part of a general education psychology course. Participants completed a computer language inventory and three surveys. The first survey inquired about students’ computer programming experiences and attitudes (Hoegh and Moskal, 2009). The second survey posed questions related to different aspects of openness to experience (Woo et al., 2014): intellectual efficiency, ingenuity, curiosity, aesthetics, tolerance, and depth. Finally, the third survey probed participants’ beliefs about the nature of intelligence and whether it is fixed or can be developed (Dweck, 1999). This paper will present the results of these surveys and explore the correlations among the various scales. The implications for engineering education interventions will be discussed